Non-essential medical services affected in Jaipur

All non-essential medical services at private hospitals and nursing homes were affected here on Wednesday as a result of a 24-hour strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

The day-long strike was in protest of the Lok Sabha approving and passing the National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) 2019.

In support of the protest, the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) has decided to go on a 24-hour strike from Thursday at 8.00 am.

"The Bill seeks to provide cheap and quality medical education. It is hard to understand whether permitting paramedical and non-medicine people to practice allopathy will improve or deteriorate the level of medical education.

"Other provisions like no capping of fees on 50 percent seats in private medical colleges, no regular inspection of medical colleges raise question marks on the objective," secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society Dr. Vijay Kapoor said.

General secretary of JARD Dr. Manoj Sharma said all residents in the hospitals associated with the SMS Hospital will remain on a 24-hour strike starting from 8 am on August 1.

He said residents of other government medical colleges in the state are also in support of the protest and will remain on strike on Thursday.